Another day over and as always, Danae made her way into her apartment just as dawn teetered on the edge of existence. Soon, the sun would break over the horizon and wash her bedroom in a golden glow...But for now, she still had a few hours of darkness left.

As she walked silently through her dimly lit apartment, Danae shed her clothes and pulled on the old faithful black silk pajamas- her comfort clothes.

She had seen him today, away from the rest...They had shared the awkward smile, the subtle glances, and then...he had simply walked away. Of course, he bid her goodnight, but nothing more.

Did he not see? Couldn't he read the thoughts that ran through her mind no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay? When he walked into a room, it was immediately brighter, even if it was only in her own eyes. When they worked in close quarters, she could hear him humming those soft sounds of long forgotten legends, and see his fingers tapping the beat out lightly on the desk where he sat.

As she crawled beneath the down comforter and hid among the safety of the sheets and blankets, she let out a long, long sigh, as if expelling the weight of the entire day in one breath. Curling up on her side, Danae stared out the window, gazing at the twinkling stars. So few of them dotted the night sky now, in this part of town.

But there were stars in his eyes....Only not for her. She could understand the boundaries that he thought existed; he had watched her grow up after all...But that did not stop the quickening of her pulse at the mere mention of his name.

And still, he said nothing, did nothing, saw nothing of what she became around him.

With another sad sigh, Danae began to shake her head. Many nights, she had pondered their situation, but it would never be more. Marcus was too afraid, she thought, of their differences. Mortality, Immortality...Neither meant anything to her, but everything to him.

Into a tighter ball, she curled, her knees nearly folded into her chest as she pulled the covers tighter around her body and allowed her eyes to slip shut. Years, and she had hardly looked at another man...

But now, Danae felt it was time for a change. There were others that would be interested, she thought. Jason Wright had been quite intriqued at one time, but even then, his desire to rise within the ranks of MSI had stolen him away. There would be others, she told herself.

There had to be.